Philip Hull strangled his estranged wife Sharon at her home in the Carnbeg Meadows area of Antrim before killing himself

A man has strangled his estranged wife with a towel then killed himself, an inquest has been told.

Jealous doorman Philip Hull, 34, left mother-of-three Sharon Hull with severe head injuries and lying in the hallway of their house in Antrim. He was found in his car in a nearby park with a hose running from the exhaust into the vehicle.

They had separated after he had an affair but months later he was afraid of his wife seeing another man and breached a non-molestation order to attack her in October 2010.

Belfast coroner's court heard that he confessed to a shocked friend: "I have held her in my arms. She is dead."

A text message to his wife's twin sister simply said: "sorry."

Mrs Hull, 33, had returned from a night out with her sister Siobohan Laverty in Belfast when she was attacked at home in Carnbeg Meadows, Antrim. Earlier that night she had been receiving multiple text messages from Mr Hull asking why she was going out and who she was with.

Their relationship had fallen apart after she discovered her husband, who also worked at Wright's Coachworks, had been having an affair while away with work in Las Vegas.

They went to counselling but concluded not long before her death that the relationship could not be salvaged.

The victim's twin Mrs Laverty discovered her body at home. Mr Hull was found by walker Heather Boyd at Duncan's car park at Tardree Forest in Kells, Antrim.

Coroner Brian Sherrard said he died from his own act, poisoned by carbon monoxide, having killed his wife earlier that morning.